Well...why not. Learning and understanding a new language is on the track of self-improvement. Isn't that really what martial-arts is all about?
If you learn fencing (classical or sport) you tend to learn a great deal of French.
Though one of my senseis preferred English speakers to use English only, and he was Japanese, so I guess it comes down to Dojo/school preference.

I personally have no interest in learning about Japanese culture, traditions, or language. I'm not one for bowing/ceremonial stuff either (though I do bow when I have to, such as at Tournaments). If I wanted to learn Japanese, I'd take a Japanese language class.

This was something that I really hated when I did Aikido (for the few months that I did Aikido). It was frustrating to me, being there to learn a martial art and having to sit through what seemed like half the class meditating, or bowing to some picture instead of actually drilling/learning.

It's something I see in Judo a little bit, though my gym and coaches are pretty laid back when it comes to things like this. From what I understand the testing requirements (USJA) were recently revised, and they used to require far more Japanese language knowledge. I don't mind using technique names, but that's the extent of what I'm really interested in knowing.

I personally have no interest in learning about Japanese culture, traditions, or language. I'm not one for bowing/ceremonial stuff either (though I do bow when I have to, such as at Tournaments). If I wanted to learn Japanese, I'd take a Japanese language class.

This was something that I really hated when I did Aikido (for the few months that I did Aikido). It was frustrating to me, being there to learn a martial art and having to sit through what seemed like half the class meditating, or bowing to some picture instead of actually drilling/learning.

It's something I see in Judo a little bit, though my gym and coaches are pretty laid back when it comes to things like this. From what I understand the testing requirements (USJA) were recently revised, and they used to require far more Japanese language knowledge. I don't mind using technique names, but that's the extent of what I'm really interested in knowing.

It's also good to know the referee commands like to start and stop and such.

Describing Judo as merely simple body mechanics, in my opinion, reflects a limited understanding of what Judo (or other "-do" disciplines) are. Accomplishment of technique, art, or trick without the presence of significant moral, mental and spiritual attributes constitutes something entirely useless (unless you happen to be a cage fighter).

As far as the technique itself goes, well, comparing that Cornish Wrestling video to a video of Kodokan Judoka speaks for itself. To quote an instructor I saw somewhere,"If all you want to do is work hard, you can put on roller skates and stumble around if you want - but this is all about building a Ferrari."

Would you say Mexican and French cuisine are the same because they are both food?

I contest the idea that Judo is exceptional moral training. I am aware of Kano's principles "jita-kyoei" and "seiryoku-zen'yo", and that his egalitarian approach to training was a socially beneficial development for Meiji-era Japanese, but beyond that I cannot seem to locate any comprehensive, codified Judo-specific philosophy.

Barring the existence of such an authoritative article, Judo is not only equal to other sports and combat sports in that its character-building performance is contingent on leadership and community (let's not forget that for all his efforts, modern Budo including Judo were co-opted into Japanese fascism within Kano's lifetime), but that it is in fact less moralistic compared to classical arts, which did formulate their own views on many matters.